Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder (Silver)
by Aiptek Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $83.99 You Save: $116.00 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder (Silver)
Customer Review: Good value for the casual user.
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this camera to have something to take "quick and dirty" HD videos, like at family events of random topics. I'm using a macbook.
I have had it for about a week and have shot a variety of subjects. If the indoor subject is well lit the camera performs adequately. Video ality in low light is better than it was with my fuji 6 MP P&S. Videos import easily into the macbook as the camera is recognized as an external hard drive, and the files are quicktime compatible and can be pulled into imovie easily.
Shooting with most of the lights out or outdoors at night is not terribly productive. Also, I have a shaky hand, and the lack of image stabilization may ultimately be the undoing of this camera as a long term solution.
I have been using it to try to import and capture some VHS footage, and I have been disappointed in that. I have a 4 year old video of my wedding that is reasonably poor in quality. The camera detects static as a scene change and stops the capture so I am not able to import it with this camera, which is one of the things I was really hoping to do.
As far as the loose battery goes, I put a little cardboard shim in there to hold it in place right off the bat. No problems there, even on a bumpy bike ride on my bicycle's tripod mount.
For what I paid for it, I would buy it again, but I also got what I paid for.
Customer Review: Good Camera - But No Editing Options for Windows
Summary: 4 Stars
The camera is exactly what I wanted. Its small - takes great video and the audio is not nearly as bad after the update AIPTEK made to it. The low light and sometimes fuzzy audio (on multiple conversations at once) is expected from a $100 camera - but for me I expected it and can live with it without a problem.
The only thing on this camera that you need to be forewarned about is there are zero (as far as I have found) paid/free video editing options for this camera. I have done trials on numerous paid video editing software packages and none have worked.
Pinnacle Studio 11 says they can handle it, but that is not the case so far for me. It will import the video and the first 2 or 3 frames play and than the video goes away. This has been the case on the last 7 or 8 clips I have tried to edit in the software.
Its my understanding (and I have not confirmed yet) that it works just fine on any of the Mac video editing programs (Final Cut Express, etc...) I am purchasing a Mac in the next couple of weeks and will be able to confirm this.
Outside of that small hangup for Windows, the camera is great.
**UPDATE 06-11-08**
It works with my MBP and iMovie08 flawlessly.
Customer Review: Great Camcorder for the Price!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fantastic camera, particularly for such a great price. It does a fantastic job at recording at 720p, and it has built in standard resolution modes for things like DVDs, or the web, so you just pick the one you want - very handy. I read a couple of reviews about these types of cameras that say that it is hard to stabilize the picture without a tripod - I don't know what they are talking about. The video is very stable, no jittering at all. The menus are easy to navigate, it is light and fits well in your hand, and the screen is great and can be moved around so you still see what you are shooting no matter what the angle. It records in low light very well. Great extra features like video out, HD video out, audio visual in (so you can record from a tv, gamebox or other source). It comes with all the cables you would need for any of the options. And as for being well-made - our kitten got hold of it (he liked the little handstrap) and ran it around the house, banging into walls and such, and it still works great, not a scratch on it. The only drawback is the sound - it needs a foam cover on it or something because it picks up sound almost too well - there is no filter. I would definitely recommend this!Customer Review: Better than I expected
Summary: 5 Stars
Well I ordered it on a Monday along with a 4GB SD to go with it. They were shipped both at separate locations, but I received both by the following Friday. When I chose this camera I was expecting pretty good quality (atleast better than my old camera), but I also expected questionable audio quality. My expectations from this camera was to make short films and other videos for YouTube. The video quality was definetley better than I expected on my HD monitor. Outside shots look fantastic, inside its questionable but still very satisfactory. Audio, as still being not that good was actually a lot better than I had expected it to be though it has a plug for an external mic which I am planning on investing in. It comes with software but it is not needed as if you plug it in and open it you can view the files using disk mode. I haven't had any problems with this camera at all it handy and fits in my pocket. I've already gone skating with it several times and taken footage ect. so I have no complaints.
I would say if you need a camera for any reason but are on a low budget, as far as cheap, small camcorders go I give this a 5 out of 5, but if you have the money to get something better I would suggest going with that.
Customer Review: High quality video for low price
Summary: 4 Stars
Bought this camera on Black Friday for $120. Excellent buy! Video Quality is impressive for an entry level camcorder. Looks particularly good on an LCD TV with the components hooked up.Very easy to use and simple. View finder does a full 360 spin for recording yourself if need be and can close viewing side up still recording, which can be helpful if you wanted to mount it to say your helmet (which i have yet to do). SD card mem makes transfering to your computer a breeze. USB style charging ala Ipod but also equiped with a separate AC plug which is really a plus. Dont record anything really long so can't judge on the battery life.
Sound quality is medicore at best but acceptable for the price. Camera for still shot pictures a little delayed. Zoom feature useless but again for the price acceptable. Bottom of camera angled so makes mounting on a flat surface impossible.
Pros-Great quality for cheap camera
Super easy to use
Fully Flipable Viewfinder
Great for Utube!
Cons-Sound quality
Camera Delay
Cant mount on flat surface
...otherwise highly recommend!